Hosta plant named ‘Afterglow’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Hosta  plant named ‘Afterglow’ characterized by upright mounded habit, heart-shaped leaves with broad yellow margins and green leaf centers and light lavender buds opening to pale lavender flowers beginning in late June on arching scapes.

Botanical classification: Hosta hybrid (Tratt.).

Variety denomination: ‘Afterglow’.

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to a new and distinct hosta plant, Hosta ‘Afterglow’ hereinafter also referred to as the new plant or just the cultivar name, ‘Afterglow’. Hosta ‘Afterglow’ was discovered by Susan Lichacz in the summer of 2009 at a perennial plant nursery in Zeeland, Mich. Hosta ‘Afterglow’ is an uninduced whole plant mutation of Hosta ‘Climax’ discovered in a batch of tissue-culture propagated Hosta ‘Climax’ (not patented). The new plant has been asexually propagated by division at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. and also by careful tissue culture propagation since August of 2011 with the resultant asexually propagated plants having retained all the same traits as the original plant. Hosta ‘Afterglow’ is stable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

There are almost 5,000 hostas registered with The American Hosta Society, which is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genus Hosta. The most similar hosta cultivars known to the applicant are: Hosta ‘Academy Blushing Recluse’ (not patented), ‘Afternoon Delight’ (not patented), ‘Erie Magic’ (not patented), ‘El Capitan’ (not patented), ‘Goodness Gracious’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,081 and the original mutation parent Hosta ‘Climax’. All of the above have a yellowish leaf margin with green to dark green leaf centers. ‘Afterglow’ is less rugose with a more rounded leaf than ‘Academy Blushing Recluse’. The new plant has a less pointed leaf apex and is larger in leaf and habit than ‘El Capitan’ and more rounded in habit with less pointed in leaf apex than ‘Erie Magic’. Compared to ‘Afternoon Delight’ the new plant has wider yellow variegation of the margins, and in comparison to ‘Goodness Gracious’ the new plant has a more rounded leaf, with deeper impressed adaxial veins and less acute apex. In comparison to ‘Climax’, the new plant has a wider yellow variegation of the margin.

The new plant, Hosta ‘Afterglow’ is different from all other hosta cultivars known to the inventor through the following combined characteristics:

-   -   1. Upright mounded habit.     -   2. Heart-shaped leaves with broad yellow margins and green leaf         center.     -   3. Light lavender buds opening to pale lavender flowers         beginning in late June on arching scapes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance of the plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, temperature, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the foliage of a three-year old plant in mid-season in Zeeland, Mich.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of a flower on scape.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hosta ‘Afterglow’, has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are of a potted three-year old plant in a shaded greenhouse in Zeeland, Mich. with and supplemental water and fertilizer.

-   Botanical classification: Hosta×hybrid. -   Parentage: Whole plant mutation of Hosta ‘Climax’. -   Propagation: Garden division and sterile plant tissue culture. -   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture: About two to three     weeks. -   Growth rate: Rapid. -   Crop time: About 9 to 10 weeks to finish during the summer in a     one-liter container from rooted tissue culture plantlet. -   Rooting habit: Fleshy, lightly branching. -   Plant shape and habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial with basal rosette     of leaves emerging from rhizomes producing a symmetrical mound of     broadly horizontal leaves. -   Plant size: Foliage height about 52.0 cm tall from soil line to the     top of the leaves and about 95.0 cm wide at the widest point just     above soil line. -   Foliage description: Entire, glabrous, adaxial blade dull with     slightly glaucous, abaxial with glaucous bloom, cordate to nearly     rounded, moderately rugose, broadly acute leaf apex with cordate     base; blades flat to curving downward toward apex; 25 to 32 cm long     and 17.5 to 21.0 cm wide, average 29 cm long and 19.0 cm wide;     variegated with a green center and yellow margin width of 5.0 to 9.0     cm. -   Bracts surrounding emerging shoot: Elliptic to ovate, with acute     apex and truncate base below ground; smaller outer bracts becoming     papery and drying by about mid-season; inner bracts sometimes     persistent, adpressed to expanding shoots in early spring; leaves     and petioles partially clasping and surrounding shoots, petioles and     expanding leaves; varying in size with more inner bracts larger     becoming more leaf-like; with largest about 8 cm long and 2 cm wide     and smallest about 3 cm long and 1 cm wide; coloration with     variegation identical to that of leaves. -   Leaf blades: Simple, entire, bi-laterally symmetrical; glabrous and     dull matte surface on top, glabrous and glaucous below; variegation     pattern characteristically variable with the margin between 0.5 cm     to 7.5 cm wide, generally wider with more maturity and wider at that     apex and narrower at the center and base, with some long jetting of     margin or center color into the edge or center and intermediate     colors between the leaf center and margin more pronounced at the     apical one third of leaf. -   Leaf blade color: Early season shortly after emergence adaxial (top)     center color between RHS 137B and RHS 137A; early season adaxial     margin nearest RHS 152B; early season abaxial (underside) center     between RHS N138C and RHS 138B; early season abaxial margin nearest     RHS 146D; Mid-season and later summer adaxial centers nearest RHS     137C; mid-season and later adaxial margins nearest RHS 153C;     mid-season and later abaxial center nearest RHS N138C; mid-season     and later abaxial margins nearest RHS 151A; major intermediate     colors where adaxial margin and center unevenly and irregularly fold     over each other of lighter than RHS 137D, nearest RHS N144D, nearest     RHS 138D and nearest RHS N144D; major intermediate colors where     abaxial margin and center unevenly and irregularly fold over each     other of nearest RHS 139D, nearest RHS 145A and nearest RHS 146D. -   Petiole: Entire, glabrous concavo-convex; slightly arching from base     of plant to leaf base, stiff; 18 to 27 cm long and 10 to 14 mm wide     at base, average about 25 cm long and 12 mm wide. -   Petiole color: Adaxial centers nearest RHS 137D; adaxial margins     nearest RHS N144A; abaxial center nearest RHS 137D; abaxial margins     nearest RHS 146D. -   Veins: Parallel, impressed on adaxial side and raised on abaxial     side, normally 14 to 16 pairs, increasing with maturity to a maximum     at about 7 to 9-years old. -   Veins color: Adaxial and abaxial veins the same color as the     surrounding tissue. -   Flower description:     -   -   Buds two to three days prior to opening.—Globose apex about             1.5 cm in diameter with base narrowing at about mid-length             to about 0.4 cm diameter; about 5.5 cm long; distal buds             smaller; Bud color: light lavender lighter than RHS 76D.         -   Flowers.—Perfect; funnelform; opening to 4.5 to 5.0 cm wide             and 5.0 to 5.5 cm long, (distal flowers smaller), persists             for a normal period, usually one day on plant or as cut             flower; scapes remain effective with flowers from late June             with 30 to 40 flowers per scape; no detectable fragrance. -   Tepal: Two sets of three, glabrous, entire; fused at base; clavate     with acute apex; each approximately 5.5 cm long and the inner set     1.5 cm wide and outer set 1.3 cm wide. -   Tepal color: Coloring of both sets identical, inner surface center     light lavender between RHS 85C and RHS 85D with inner margin white,     lighter than RHS 155D or RHS N155D; outer surface near white,     lighter than RHS 155D or RHS N155D in distal two thirds with a tepal     base nearest RHS 85D. -   Tepal veins: Three to five main veins, distinguishable by being     impressed on abaxial surface and slightly darker in center than the     surrounding tissue on adaxial surface to nearest RHS 85C. -   Gynoecium:     -   -   Style.—Single, approximately 6.0 cm long, 1 mm diameter,             curled upward sharply to about 90 degrees in the distal 1.2             cm; color lighter than RHS 155D.         -   Stigma.—Globose, about 2 mm in diameter, between RHS 155D             and RHS 157D.         -   Ovary.—Oblong, about 0.9 cm long and 3.0 mm wide; color             nearest RHS 146C. -   Androecium: Filaments: six, approximately 4.8 cm long and less than     1 mm in diameter; curved upward to nearly 90 degrees in the apical     0.8 cm; color lighter than RHS 145D.     -   -   Anthers.—About 4.0 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, dorsifixed,             dehiscent longitudinally; color between RHS N187B and RHS             N187A.         -   Pollen.—Elliptic, less than 0.1 mm long, color closest to             RHS 17B. -   Peduncle: Usually one per mature division; glaucous, glabrous, round     in cross-section; arching with maturity; up to about 95 cm tall, and     up to 7.0 mm in diameter at base, average about 85 cm tall and 6.0     mm at base; average flowering portion of peduncle about 30 cm long;     color between RHS 138A and RHS 138B. -   Pedicel: Approximately 15.0 mm long, 2.0 mm wide; color distally     nearest RHS 138D with tinting of RHS 84D and proximally between RHS     138B and RHS 138C. -   Scape bracts: Sessile, entire, glabrous, slightly glaucous,     dehiscent, lanceolate; single bract subtending individual or     occasionally groups of up to four flowers; narrowly acute apex and     truncate base; decreasing in size distally with one or two below     first flowers; proximal bracts starting about 5.0 cm long and 10.0     mm wide at base, distal bracts about 1.6 cm long and 6.0 mm wide;     proximal bracts curved downward back toward peduncle and distal     bracts remain horizontal and concaved supporting flower. -   Scape bract color: Nearest RHS 148C on both adaxial and abaxial     surfaces. -   Fruit: Tri-loculicidal capsule, about 3.8 cm long and 7.0 mm     diameter; between color nearest RHS 146B shortly after pollination     and lighter than RHS N199D near maturity. -   Seed: Flattened single-winged nutlet with swollen embryo at one end;     about 8 mm long, 3 mm wide and 1.5 mm thick at embryo; nearest RHS     202A. -   Disease and pest resistance: The new plant has not shown any     resistance to pests and diseases common to hostas. The plant grows     best and shows best coloration with plenty of moisture, adequate     drainage and light shade, but is able to tolerate some drought when     mature and limited direct sun without leaf burn when provided     sufficient water. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 3 through 9, and     other disease resistance is typical of that of other hostas. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct ornamental Hosta plant cultivar named Hosta ‘Afterglow’ essentially as herein described and illustrated, with upright mounded habit, heart-shaped leaves with broad yellow margins and green leaf centers and light lavender buds opening to pale lavender flowers beginning in late June on arching scapes, suitable as a potted plant, for landscaping the garden, and for cut flower or cut foliage arrangements. 